


promise me you'll catch me if you can

by orphan_account



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics (2015)
Genre: Fluff, Gay Jughead Jones, Jughead Jones is Not Asexual, M/M, second date!, this'll probably only be 2 or 3 chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-04-19 11:15:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14236092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: a not-so-accidental (this time) date between jughead jones and jason blossom





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! i'm keeping up with writing, just like i said. this won't be a long fic, this stuff is just for fun. 
> 
> comments are always appreciated!

“Jason, are you just going to stare at your phone all afternoon?”

“Huh?” Jason glanced up at Cheryl. “Oh- no. I didn’t see you come in, sis.”

“Not surprising, you’ve had your nose buried in your iPhone since this morning! Expecting a call?” Cheryl asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning on the armchair currently occupied by Jason. 

“No, I’m not.” Jason frowned, then turned his phone off. “Cheryl- bear with me for a moment, I’ve got a hypothetical.” 

“Oh, this should be fun.” Cheryl sat down on a nearby couch, crossed her legs, and leaned forward. “Well, let’s hear it!”

“Alright, so…” Jason sighed. “Say I met a guy-”

“Ooh, a  _ guy _ ?” Cheryl fluttered her eyelashes in an exaggerated motion. “So, this is a  _ love  _ hypothetical, you  _ Romeo _ , you?”

“Gross, don’t say it like that. Remind me why I’m talking to you about this?” Jason rolled his eyes and leaned back in his armchair. “No, it’s not…  _ love _ , god, no, I’ve only spent time with him the once. Er- hypothetically, at least.” 

“Mmhmm, mmhmm.  _ Hypothetically _ , of course.” Cheryl nodded and pretended to scribble something down on a notepad. “And how does he make you  _ feel _ ? Hypothetically speaking.” 

“Cher, you better knock this off, I swear...”

“I was only teasing! Gosh, brother, you didn’t think I meant to  _ insult  _ you, did you?”

Jason scowled. She was  _ always  _ like this, always had to give him the roundabout before ‘helping’ in any way. Then again, Jason could be pretty similar in that regard. “Well, it’s hard to tell with you. It’s always back and forth, back and fo-”

“ _ Any _ ways,” Cheryl interrupted with a hum, checking her nails. “Carry on with the  _ story _ , please? I have a date tonight, and you usually take awhile to get to the point. I’ll have to factor that  _ hour  _ or so into my prep time.” 

“You know, maybe I should just call someone  _ else  _ about this,” Jason huffed, pulling his phone out again and starting to rise from his seat. “If you’re going to be a  _ pain _ -”

“Oh, there you go again,  _ drama queen _ -”

“ _ You’re  _ one to talk, Ms.-”

“Do you want my help or  _ not _ ?”

Jason froze, then slowly lowered himself back into the armchair with a sigh. “Yes. Yeah. Sorry.”

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

“It took all my willpower,” Jason deadpanned to her. 

“Now-” Cheryl tapped her nails on the coffee table. “- Who’s the hypothetical mystery man?”

“... No comment.”

“Oh, no comment, huh?” Cheryl quirked an eyebrow again. She eyed the iPhone- whoever this ‘mystery man’ was, he must be in Jason’s phone. “Say, what’s…” Quick as a whip, she leaned in and snatched the phone from Jason’s hand. 

“Hey!” Jason grabbed at it, but Cheryl had already unlocked it- Jason might’ve been the older twin, but she was the smarter one of the pair. “Cheryl, I’m going to count to three, and you  _ better  _ give me my phone back!”

“Or what?” she asked smugly, leafing through his contacts and holding the phone just out of reach. 

“Or… you’ll see!” He’d think of something, probably. “One… two…”

“ _ Jughead Jones _ ?”

“... Three,” Jason sighed, sinking down into the cushions as if they could hide him. 

“Jason.  _ Tell me _ you’re kidding,” Cheryl laughed, dropping the phone in his lap. “The mystery man  _ can’t  _ be Jughead Jones! He’s… he’s… well, he’s  _ Jughead _ !”

“You didn’t let me finish my story,” Jason grumbled, shoving the phone in his pocket. 

“Finish it! I  _ need  _ to hear about how…  _ Jughead  _ swept you off your feet!” she snickered. “Oh, how the mighty fall, huh, JJ?”

“Again- knock it off,” Jason said with another scowl. “He’s… look, he’s not so bad.” 

“Oh, I’m sure,” Cheryl replied, nodding and obviously concealing a grin.

“If you’re just going to mock me…” Jason rose again. 

“No! No, come on, Jase, it’s not as if  _ you  _ don’t tease me about  _ my  _ dates,” Cheryl pointed out.

“Well, you _ do  _ try to date every girl with a pulse,” he said with a slight smirk.

“Not true!” Cheryl insisted indignantly. “Only the ones up to my standards. Whereas-”

“Do you really want to hear about Jughead?”

“I do! I do. I really do.” Cheryl composed herself, crossing and uncrossing her legs. “Tell away!”

“I… may have accidentally gone on a date with him?”

Cheryl blinked in surprise. “Not that I…  _ doubt  _ that, but how did you  _ accidentally  _ go on a date?”

“I sat down to belittle him, and the next thing I knew…” Jason put his hands up in a ‘Who knows?’ gesture. “I was buying him dinner.”

“Wow. Jughead’s quite a conman, I guess.” 

“No, he didn’t  _ con  _ me, he…” Jason searched for the right word. “...  _ Charmed _ me? No, that can’t be right…” 

“I don’t think anyone would describe Jughead as  _ charming _ ,” Cheryl said dryly. “Jase, what exactly is your dilemma here?”

“He gave me his phone number,” Jason explained. “And… honestly? I’d like to see him again. He was… strangely enjoyable company. Different than any of our friends from Pembrooke.”

“He’s  _ different _ , alright,” Cheryl sighed under her breath. “... Jason, I’m not going to tell you  _ not  _ to hang out with Jughead if it makes you happy.”

“It  _ shouldn’t  _ make me happy!” Jason groaned, flinging a hand across his forehead. “Can you take my temperature? Now that I think about it, I may be coming down with something!”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not having fun with… with… I can’t think of a girl comparable to Jughead!” 

“I doubt anyone could.” Cheryl stood up, smoothing out her dress. “He’s… well, one-of-a-kind.”

“He’s ridiculous, that’s what he is!” Jason agreed, rubbing his chin. “He’s… eccentric! Low-class! An oddball! Just… different.”

“I guess different isn't so bad. Sometime you need to shake things up.” Cheryl ruffled Jason’s hair, much to her twin’s annoyance. “Just… maybe don’t be seen with him in public, okay? For your sake.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Jason stared at Jughead’s contact as he smoothed down his hair. “Where do you think he’d like to go?”

“How should I know?” Cheryl laughed. “Anyplace he can chow down, I bet.”

“Yeah. Yeah, probably…” Jason mused, mostly to himself. “Have fun on your date, sis.”

“Oh, I will! Have fun on yours,” Cheryl teased, heading to her room to get ready for her night out.

“It’s not- whatever,” Jason sighed. He scrolled up and down on his phone absentmindedly. It didn’t make any  _ sense  _ for him to  _ like  _ Jughead. Maybe he just… pitied him? And didn’t realize it? That…  _ kinda  _ made sense. More sense than this…  _ below _ -blue-collar guy actually appealing to him. 

Well, either way...

_ Ring…  _

_ Ring… _

_ Ring… _

“... Hey, you’ve reached Jughead! If you’d like to leave a message, you know what to do! After the beep. Not now. Almost. Almoooos-”  _ Beep _ .

“Oh. Ok, wasn’t expecting the answering machine.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey, it’s-”

“Jason!”

“... Hey?”

“Sorry, sorry.” There was the muffled sound of something being set down on Jughead’s end of the line. “Ethel’s been trying to call me, so I’ve been pretending to be an answering machine every time. I’ve even got a little beeper thingy-”

“Shouldn’t you just use caller ID? Or an actual voicemail?” Jason pointed out. 

“On this old phone?” Jughead asked incredulously with a slight laugh. “Yeah, right. So- uh, what’s up? I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon. It’s only been a couple days.”

“Should I… hang up?” So he hadn’t been anxiously waiting for Jason to call? That was disappointing. 

“Why would you hang up?” Jughead snorted. 

Dammit, that laugh was still cute.

“... Nevermind.” Jason shook his head. “I was… wondering if you’d like to do something this weekend. But- not at Pop’s. Somewhere out of town.” 

“Embarrassed to be seen with me?” Jughead joked.

“Well…”

“... Yeah. Don’t answer that.” Jughead didn’t sound like he was joking now. “But, sure. My folks don’t need me to babysit Jellybean-”

“Jellybean?”

“My baby sister. So, yeah, I’m free. Got anything in mind?” 

_ Who names a kid Jellybean? _ Jason wondered.  _ Same sort of people who let their son go by Jughead, I guess…  _

“In mind? No, no, not yet… I just figured it’d be better to find out if you were free, first.”

“Fair enough. Just don’t take me to the opera or something. Yuck.”

“Please, my parents have dragged me to enough of those,” Jason laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Good.” In the background, Jason could hear the sound of a dog barking. “Down, Hot Dog! I’m just on the phone, sheesh.”

“I… assume that’s your dog?” Jason asked, amusement plain on his face. “That you’ve named Hot Dog?”

“I couldn’t name a  _ dog  _ something like…  _ Hamburger _ ,” Jughead said as if that made perfect sense. And, in a strange way, it almost did.

“You’ve got me there.”

“Say… know any good restaurants near you?” Jughead asked. “Since your tastes are so  _ gourmet _ .”

“Er-  _ near  _ me?” Slight dilemma. “Well… not  _ nearby _ , but… I can think of a few places you might enjoy!” Far, far from anybody who’d recognize them. 

“Yeah? That sounds nice.” Jason could hear the creaking of a couch as Jughead settled into it. “Know any five-star buffets?”

“Sorry, no. Gourmet dining usually isn’t all-you-can-eat.”

“Shucks.”

“Listen- how about I pick you up on Saturday at… say, 6:30?” Not in his usual car, of course.

“Sounds good. Need my address?”

“Yeah.” Jason quickly copied down the address as Jughead relayed it to him. “Wear something nice, won’t you?”

“Gotcha.”

Jason wasn’t so sure he ‘got’ it, but he didn’t press.

“I’ll see you then, Forsythe.”

“... Y’know, I’d  _ really  _ prefer Jughead. Just saying.”

“Right. I’ll see you then, Jughead.” 

God, what a weird name.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a nice, short drive to a restaurant, full of awkward conversation and jason being gay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter! enjoy! comments are always appreciated

Admittedly, the Jones household wasn’t nearly as shabby as Jason had thought it’d be. What had he even been expecting? A shack? This just looked like… a normal, two-story suburban house. 

Jason pulled up in front of Jughead’s house- not in his normal red convertible, but still a nice sports car. He didn’t want to blend in  _ that  _ much.

“Jason! Hey!” came a familiar voice from the house. Jason glanced up to see Jughead, wearing… alright, so he hadn’t taken ‘Wear something nice’ to heart. A shirt with a tuxedo print and red jeans didn’t count as classy. Not to mention he still had that dumb hat on. 

“Hey, For- Jone- Jughead,” Jason managed to get out. “You look… acceptable.”

“Really buttering me up, huh?” Jughead asked, not looking so flattered. 

“Sorry. Here.” Jason leaned over and opened the passenger door. 

“Nice car,” Jughead commented as he climbed in.

“Oh? Do you know a lot about cars?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“Nah, that’s more up Betty’s alley.” He shook his head. “I just thought it looked expensive.”

“Well, it is. Expensive, that is,” Jason clarified as he pulled out into the street. “So let’s just say we won’t be going through a drive-through.” 

“No snacks?” There was the sound of crinkling plastic.

“No, I’d- you brought snacks  _ with  _ you?” Jason glanced over in surprise to see Jughead shoving a bag of candy back into his pocket. “You know I’m taking you out to eat, right?”

“Can’t hurt to have a snack before dinner.”

“Just… don’t eat it in the car,” Jason sighed. “Like I said- it’s expensive.”

“Like your suit?” Jughead leaned over and poked Jason’s shoulder.

“Yes, like my suit.”

“Y’know, you really didn’t have to  _ dress up _ ,” Jughead laughed. “We’re gonna make quite the pair.” 

“Well, if  _ you’d  _ dressed up, too-”

“I think you look nice, by the way. If that wasn’t clear,” Jughead said, sincerity in his tone.

“Oh.” Jason glanced over again- Jughead was smiling at him. “... Thanks. I, uh- didn't mean what I said earlier. You just have…  _ interesting  _ outfits.” Beyond that… Jughead wasn’t exactly  _ ugly _ . His big nose was actually pretty handsome, Jason’s father probably would’ve called it “aristocratic”. And he had nice eyes… when he didn’t look like he was half-asleep, that is. Sure, he was no Leonardo DiCaprio, but he had appeal.

“Hope you meant that as a compliment, ‘cause I’m taking it as one!” Jughead knew how drastically out of place he was gonna look at whatever nice restaurant Jason was taking him too, but he’d already outgrown his only suit. A goofy tuxedo-print shirt seemed close enough. Plus, he’d kinda been hoping Jason would find it funny. In a good way. 

“Sure. Why not.” Jason couldn’t help but smile at that- Jughead sure took everything in stride. “Say, you didn’t tell any of your friends about this did you?”

“Nope.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t  _ blame  _ you if you wanted to brag about it.”

“Brag?” Jughead stifled a laugh. “Uh, no, I like to keep my romantic life to myself.”

“Oh. Makes sense.” 

For a minute, they drove in silence.

“So…” Jason started, trying to think of something to say. “You said you like to keep your romantic life private… are you, uh, not out?”

“Nah, I’ve been out for a couple years now.” Jughead shrugged. “The only person who hadn’t already figured it out by then was Arch- I love the guy to death, but he can be a bit… unobservant.”

“Oh, I can imagine.” Jason rolled his eyes. “I’ve met him a few times, he’s-”

“My best friend,” Jughead interrupted with a pointed glance at Jason.

“Right.” For once, it didn't seem like Jason was making a great impression. “Well- if you're already out, then why the privacy?”

“I've seen enough public romances to know it's just… messy.” Jughead shrugged. “I don't wanna deal with that, y'know? I mean, if the relationship was…  _ serious _ , I'd probably let people know. Outside of that, I don't think it's really anyone's business but mine.”

“... That makes sense,” Jason agreed after a moment. “Given the choice, I guess I wouldn't want my relationships under a microscope either.” Not that he'd had many real  _ relationships  _ to dissect like that. 

“How ‘bout you?”

“Hm?”

“I mean- are you out?” Jughead clarified. “I know Cheryl’s-”

“No, I’m not,” Jason replied stiffly, trying to indicate that he didn't want to talk about it further. Jughead, thankfully, seemed to take the hint.

“... What’s Pembrooke like?” he asked, changing the subject. 

“It's fine. Typical private academy, you know?” As if that was a sufficient answer. 

“Ok, well, that doesn't really tell me anything,” Jughead pointed out. He'd figured Jason would  _ want  _ to brag about his  _ ‘super exclusive’ _ rich kid school. “Like, do you guys have uniforms and stuff, or-”

“Yes, we have uniforms. Technically. Most of us don't wear them, though. What are they going to do, punish us? Not likely, our parents are paying their salaries.” Jason grinned, relaxing a bit. “Your school doesn't have a uniform, right? I think Cheryl would've mentioned that, since she attended for a semester.”

“Nah, we don't have uniforms, but Weatherbee probably wishes we did sometimes.” Jughead indicated his hat. “Most of the teachers have even given up trying to make me keep my hat off.”

“Why are you so attached to that thing?” Jason asked. “I think I've only seen you without it… twice, maybe.”

Jughead glanced around, as if someone might be watching, then leaned in and whispered, “Can you keep a secret?”

Jason raised an eyebrow and nodded. 

“Under my hat…” Jughead said in a low, serious voice, “... Is a rat, pulling my hair and controlling all my movements. Shh. Keep it hush-hush.”

Jason was silent for a second before laughing. “I actually thought I was about to learn some huge conspiracy!”

“It's true!” Jughead insisted, even though he wasn't able to keep a straight face. “C'mon, would I lie?”

“Maybe! Either that, or you're the inspiration for a Pixar movie.”

“Hey, if  _ anybody  _ was gonna inspire a wacky animated adventure…” 

“‘Wacky animated adventure’- you sound like a commercial, you know that?” Jason looked over at Jughead, who was still cracking up at his own joke. 

“I watch a lotta TV!”

“Mmhmm, I can tell.”

“Good.” Jughead was rolling the window up and down. It was already fairly dark out, and the cool night air felt good on his face. “Does this thing have a moonroof?”

“I think so.” Jason pressed a button on the dashboard, and with a mechanical whir, a panel on the roof opened. Jughead rolled the window up and reclined his seat a bit. 

“Cool.”

“Yeah.” 

“How far from here is the restaurant?”

“Maybe… twenty minutes more.”

“Gotcha.” 

Jughead was quiet, now, and Jason glanced over at him. 

For once, with Jughead not making some dumb joke or stuffing his face, he actually looked… nice. Not that he didn't  _ always  _ look like that, just that Jason had never really  _ looked  _ at him. 

Despite being 17, Jughead still had a bit of baby fat to him, giving a roundness to his long face. His eyelashes were long, his eyes a nice gray-blue that always seemed tired. He seemed a little disproportionate, like maybe he hadn't quite grown into his features even now. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just… unique. And-

“Uh, Jason?”

“Huh?” Jason blinked. Had he been staring? His gaze turned back to the road. “Er- what?”

“You ran through a stop sign.”

“Did I?” Jason checked his side view mirror. There  _ was _ a stop sign behind them, growing smaller and smaller. “Oh. So I did. I was- I did that on purpose. We wouldn’t want to be late for our reservation, right?” 

“... Right.” He gave Jason questioning look, but didn't say anything more on the subject. Had Jason just been staring at him? Jughead didn't think he exactly had what might be called ‘traffic-stopping’ looks (Was that the phrase? Nah, that didn't sound right). On a good day, Jughead was just thankful he passed. 

“We're almost there,” Jason said to fill the silence. 

“Oh. Good. I'm starving.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a not-so-accidental (this time) date between jughead jones and jason blossom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking with me! this is a shorter chapter, sorry.
> 
> comments are always appreciated!

“Swanky place.” Jughead whistled appreciatively as they stood outside the doors of  _ Le Gavroche _ . 

“Well, swanky is my specialty,” Jason said smugly, clearly pleased with himself.  

“Uh-huh, I can tell.” Jughead stifled a laugh, then linked his arm with Jason’s. The redhead seemed to flinch away for a moment, then composed himself. 

“You're really serious about making this a date, aren't you?”

“I sure am. Besides, you looked a little tense.”

“I'm not-”

“Live a little, Jason.” Jughead poked Jason's cheek. “C'mon, I know you know how to have a good time! I'd say you have a reputation for it, actually.”

“This is different, ok?” Jason said shortly as they walked inside, still arm and arm. “I'm not throwing a party or… having a fling with some gorgeous supermodel- I'm taking an… acquaintance out for a nice night.”

“Acquaintance, huh?”

“Sorry.” Jason sighed again. He actually looked frazzled. “I'll admit- I haven't done this… in a while.”

“What, a date?” Jughead snorted. “C'mon, Jason, you're always out with some chick. It's all the girls at school talk about. Sheesh! You've got ‘em hooked and you don't even live in the same town.”

“Well- like I  _ just  _ said, that's different. Here, let me take your coat.” Running on autopilot, Jason helped Jughead out of his jacket and handed it to the coat check. 

“Oh. Thanks.” Jughead found himself wishing Jason's hands had lingered on his shoulders just a bit longer. “Different how?”

“Those girls are just for fun! Just like you said earlier, I  _ know  _ how to have a good time.”

_ Yeah _ ,  _ I bet _ , Jughead thought as Jason slipped off his own coat. 

“It's not serious,” Jason continued, reiterating what he'd said before. 

“And… this is?”

“Well-” Lucky for Jason, he had an out from the convo- talking to the host. 

“Reservation?” said host asked. Very to the point. 

“Two, under Blossom,” Jason responded quickly, easily taking back on the air of unimpressed superiority. 

The host’s eyes darted to Jughead, questioning, but he cleared his throat and nodded. “Right this way, sirs.”

“Ooh, I’ve been ‘sir’d,” Jughead whispered, nudging Jason. “This place really  _ is  _ high class.”

“Be quiet,” Jason replied, even as he smiled. He tugged Jughead a little closer as they were led across the restaurant to a small table in the back by a window. “Wait, hang on-”

Jason stepped behind Jughead when they reached the table, and pulled out his chair for him.

“So…” Jughead began as he sat down. “Why’s this different?”

“You’re not going to drop that one, huh?”

“Nope. I’m a stubborn guy, Jason. Like a dog with a bone.”

“I can tell.” Jason sat down in his own seat. “... Fine. I haven’t exactly… been on a date with a guy.”

“... Really?” Jughead was actually surprised. With the way Jason seemed to go through girls, he’d figured it was the same with boys. 

“I’m not out, Jughead. I can’t date guys like I date girls,” Jason pointed out. “Believe me, I would if I could.” 

“I’ve never really been on a date, either,” Jughead admitted as he scanned the menu. “The dating pool of guys at Riverdale High is, uh… small.” 

“Yeah?”

“Let’s see- Archie’s oblivious and way more into girls, Reggie’s too prideful, Chuck’s only got eyes for Nancy, Moose only has eyes for Midge, Dilton’s always busy, and Kevin’s not my type.” He counted off the names on his fingers. “I’ve talked to some guys online, but… yeah. Never been on an actual date.”

“Have you ever tried?”

“I’ve asked Archie out a couple times… he just thought we were hanging out,” he sighed. “Like I said- oblivious. How about you? I mean- you haven’t been on a  _ date  _ with a guy, but-”

“I’ve had… casual  _ things _ .” Jason leaned back in his chair, not bothering with the menu. “If you’re asking if I’ve  _ been with  _ a guy-”

“Not if you’re saying it like  _ that _ ,” Jughead snorted. “Try to save that kinda talk for something  _ other  _ than our second date.” He nudged Jason under the table with his sneaker. 

“Yeah, I’ve had…  _ flings  _ with guys.” Was Jughead always so immature? Then again, Jason wasn’t one to talk. “You haven’t? I know you said you haven’t dated.”

“Uh, the closest thing to a ‘fling’ I’ve had was Reggie Mantle kissing me on a dare in middle school.”

“So, you just don’t date at all because you can’t meet guys?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well-” Jason tilted his chair onto its back legs for a moment, then immediately righted it when someone glanced his way. “- You could’ve met up with someone online, or on a dating app.”

“That stuff’s not for me.” Jughead shrugged. “Dating apps, I mean.”

“Why?” 

“What if I get catfished?”

“Jughead-”

“C’mon, I’m serious!” Jughead leaned forward, emphatically, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. He just couldn’t keep a straight face around Jason. “You dunno who’s out there, and neither do I!” 

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, what’s the real reason?” Jason probed, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s just… not for me. ‘Sides, I’d just be getting chasers, anyways.” His voice dropped to a mutter on the second sentence. 

“I didn’t catch that second part-”

“Don’t worry about it.” Jughead started leafing through the menu. “What’s good here? I’m asking for your opinion, but only ‘cause I don’t think ordering one of everything is good date etiquette.” 

“Let’s see… Cheryl and I went here last year for our birthday.” Jason picked up the menu and ran one finger down the page. “The lobster’s good.” 

“Can’t do shellfish.”

“Allergic?”

“Jewish.”

“Right.” Jason glanced back down at the menu. “Let’s see… filet mignon? Scallop sashimi? Braised le-”

“The filet mignon sounds good,” Jughead interrupted quickly, for once not wanting to hear an entire menu. Mostly to spare Jason’s wallet the draining that might cause. “What about you?”

“I’ll just go with the lobster. I’ll order dessert for us later,” the other decided with a nod. 

“Well, isn’t that romantic?”

Jason just smiled. “If you say so.” He motioned to a passing waiter, not seeming to care whether or not they were actually in his section. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Uh… do they have Coke?”

“... I’ll ask.”

They didn’t have Coke.

“Ok, uh… apple juice?”

None of that.

“... I’ll just have water,” Jughead sighed after a moment.

“I’ll have whatever champagne you’d recommend with the lobster,” Jason said decisively as the waiter jotted it down and walked away.

“Champagne? What, did you bring a fake ID or something?” Jughead asked incredulously. 

“They won’t card me,” Jason said with a shake of his head. “My parents donated to the college the owner’s son goes to.”

“So, you know a guy who knows a guy.”

“That’s how it works, typically.”

“What a scintillating world you live in. ‘Scintillating’ is my word of the day. I got a whole calendar of ‘em for New Year’s.”

“Sounds fun,” Jason replied, rolling his eyes.

Jughead nudged him under the table with his foot again. “Hey, don’t knock it. Do  _ you  _ know what a bivouac is?”

“... No. It sounds like a fish.”

“Well, it’s not. Which you’d know, if you had a word-a-day calendar.” Another nudge. “Guess you’ll just have to check out mine, sometime.”

“Is that your idea of a date?” 

“It could be.” 

Jason paused, then nudged Jughead back. He felt oddly relaxed, all of a sudden. Jughead was just easy to talk to. 

“You’re smiling, Blossom.”

“Am I?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jason and jughead search for a conversation topic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter this time, sorry!

“Okay, okay… favorite movie?”

“Isn’t that a kinda… basic question?” Jughead asked mid-bite. “Like… conversation-cards-at-a-party-table basic?”

“Hey, it’s a question, isn’t it?”

“Guess so. Let’s see…” He finished the bite on his fork. “I like old horror films.”

“Like  _ Psycho _ ?”

“I guess, but more like… B-movies. Back when they made  _ real  _ B-movies and weren’t just trying to make something bad.” 

“80’s stuff.”

“Older than that, even. There’s just something fun about bad monster makeup and hokey acting.”

“Do you have any favorite movies that are, you know…  _ good _ ?”

“C’mon, give me some credit,” Jughead snorted. “My favorite is  _ American Werewolf in London _ , or  _ Jiro Dreams of Sushi _ , or maybe  _ Brokeback Mountain _ .”

“I don’t think I’ve met a gay guy who actually  _ liked  _ that one,” Jason said after a sip of his champagne.

“What,  _ Brokeback Mountain _ ?”

“Mhm. It’s… too sad, for me, at least.”

“I know it got a lotta flack, but it really was a meaningful movie-” Jughead interrupted himself to take another bite. “- to me, at least. Plus, I just think cowboys are cool. How about you?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess I think cowboys are cool.” Jason raised an eyebrow. “Why, is my opinion of cowboys a deal-breaker?”

“No, dummy, I’m asking what  _ your  _ favorite movie is.”

“Oh.” He thought for a moment. “ _ Great Gatsby _ . The new one.”

“Just one favorite? And there’s an old one?”

“... Just the one. And, yeah, but I didn’t like it.” Jason snapped the second claw off his lobster. 

“More of a Leo DiCaprio guy?”

“He’s handsome!”

“I  _ know  _ he’s handsome,” Jughead laughed. “My mom loves  _ Romeo + Juliet _ , I have to watch it with her like once a month.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” The redhead had his cloth napkin tucked into his shirt, but even that didn’t look too ridiculous on him.

“I didn’t say it was. I guess it’s not so much  _ have  _ to watch it with her as  _ get  _ to,” Jughead corrected.

“So, you and your mom get along well? That’s a little better than asking your favorite movie, right?” 

“I guess it is. Yeah, we’re pretty close.” Jughead hadn’t touched his glass of water, except to stir it with the spoon he wasn’t using. “Always have been. Mom’s been really supportive of me coming out, even though it happened, like, 3 years ago. She still tells me whenever one of her co-workers has a gay kid.”

“Aw. That’s nice, actually.” He almost sounded surprised. “Who knew you were such a momma’s boy?” 

“Gosh, that’s not very nice date talk!” Jughead wagged his finger in a false show of disapproval.

“Come on, I didn’t mean anything bad by it!” Jason rolled his eyes. “I think it’s sweet that you’re close to your mom. Just don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“I know, I know. I’m just teasing. How about you and your mom?”

“... I’m sure we can think of a more interesting topic,” he said offhandedly, sipping his champagne. “For example- I play lacrosse on Pembrooke’s varsity team. State champions three years running!”

“You sure like to talk about yourself, huh?”

“You would too, if you were me. There’s nothing wrong with having pride in yourself!”

“I can think of a few people who’d agree with you, pretty boy. There  _ is  _ such a thing as  _ too  _ much pride, y’know,” Jughead teased, finishing off another hunk of steak.

“But we agree I’m pretty, then.” Jason winked.

Jughead laughed, but he didn’t exactly disagree with that. Jason  _ was  _ handsome. Long eyelashes, dark eyebrows, full lips, moss green eyes and red hair that was less “carrot-top” and more “red velvet cake”...  _ Does this restaurant have red velvet cake _ ? 

“So… lacrosse, huh? Very preppy.” 

“Do you know anything about lacrosse?”

“Well, I know  _ you _ play it.”

“Mhm, anything else?”

Jughead’s brows furrowed in thought, though he couldn’t keep a grin off his face. “Mm… is that the one with the ball?” 

“Wow, you’re smarter than you look,” Jason snickered.

“Hey, I was only joking, c’mon!”

“I figured. Ever been to a Pembrooke game?”

“I’ve never even been to a  _ Riverdale  _ game,” he pointed out. “Hey, can I get a second helping on this steak?”

“It’s  _ filet mignon _ , Jughead.”

“I know that. Anyways- second helping? I’m still starved.” Jughead tapped his fork against his plate. “If Mr. Moneybags wants to spring for it, that is.”

“I could  _ spring for  _ the whole menu, if you want-” 

Jughead cut in, “Don’t tempt me like that. I’m well-aware that my appetite isn’t very, uh,  _ appetizing  _ to be around. I’ll just take the second plate… maybe a third… and can’t forget dessert…”

“... You’re cute, Jones. Maybe they’ll let you take home a doggie bag.” 

“Woof, woof.”

“Eh, not very convincing.”


End file.
